The conference opened with a welcome from Boy-Arne Buyle, Laboratory Leader at the concrete laboratory at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, setting the stage for a comprehensive and engaging program.

The agenda reflected key challenges and opportunities facing the sector, with contributions from leading organizations representing different parts of the industry. These included:
Forsvarsbygg – Norway’s public construction and property management agency for defense infrastructure
Consto and Veidekke – major construction contractors
OBOS – one of the largest housing developers in the Nordic region
Nordkraft – a regional energy company
Heidelberg Materials and Schwenk – international producers of cement and construction materials
Skanska – global project development and construction company
AF Decom – specialists in demolition and recycling
MAPEI – supplier of chemical products for construction
SINTEF – one of Europe’s largest independent research organizations
Statens vegvesen (Norwegian Public Roads Administration) – responsible for national road infrastructure
Rockpore, Elop, Innoveks, Jaro, and Øksnes Entreprenør – companies contributing with expertise in materials, technology, and specialized construction solutions
Mechatronics Innovation Lab – supporting industrial innovation and testing
UiT and NTNU – key academic institutions in construction and materials research

A highlight of the event was the panel discussion on climate requirements in construction, focusing on the transition to low-emission concrete. Key questions included whether environmental requirements are ambitious enough, how costs influence decisions, and whether the industry is ready for stricter targets.

As part of the program, Iveta Nováková (UiT) presented work from the Ar2CorD project titled “Long-term monitoring station at Narvik Harbour - development of new measurement methods for freeze–thaw testing.” The presentation introduced the monitoring station established in Narvik Harbour and highlighted new approaches for studying concrete performance under real Arctic exposure conditions.

Boy-Arne Buyle introduced student work from bachelor’s and master’s theses, where students presented their ongoing projects. These presentations focused on topics such as circular economy and material reuse, as well as rehabilitation and the lifetime extension of infrastructure.

The conference concluded with updates from the industry, including “News from the Norwegian Concrete Association” presented by Cecilie Hagby from Norsk Betongforening.

For more information about the event and upcoming activities, please visit Concrete Innovation Cluster website: betongklyngen.no